Restrooms, restaurants and other public facilities are often provided with various containers comprising a lid or cover. In the case of a container such as a waste bin, a lid may be provided for reasons of hygiene or for giving the waste bin an aesthetic appearance by covering the contents of the waste bin. In the case of a container such as a dispenser, an outer cover may additionally be provided for enclosing and protecting the products to be dispensed.
A common type of cover is pivotally mounted on the waste bin and may or may not be spring loaded towards a closed position.
During closing, a lid or cover of this type often makes a loud noise as it contacts an upper surface or an edge of the container. Also, a rapidly closing lid or cover arranged to close under its own weight or by means of a spring load may create problems during servicing or use of a container such as a waste bin or a dispenser. Service personnel may experience problems when servicing and emptying a waste bin or when servicing and re-filling a dispenser. A further problem for waste bins is that users may have to use both hands to deposit waste in the bin, if the closing of the cover is unpredictable or too rapid. Hence there is a need for a hinge arrangement that solves the above problems for these types of containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,857,538 shows a known cover assembly that includes a ring mounted on a garbage bin, a cover mounted on the ring and a slot pivot device for slowly pivoting the cover relative to the ring. The slow pivot element includes an internal tube, an external tube enclosing the internal tube and a spring connected between the internal tube and the external tube. Rotation of the internal tube relative to the external tube exerts a torque on the spring. The spring is received in the internal tube so that an end thereof is connected with the internal tube. The internal tube is received in the external tube so that the other end of the spring is connected with the external tube. Damping oil is provided between the internal tube and the external tube so as to damp pivot of the internal tube relative to the external tube. A disadvantage with this solution is that a user opening the cover must apply sufficient force not only to lift the cover against the torque exerted by the spring, but to overcome the resistance created by the damping element. A further disadvantage is that the lid will automatically begin to close during servicing of the waste bin, requiring the user to support the lid at the same time as the service is performed.
The object of the invention is to provide an improved hinge arrangement in order to solve the above problems relating to the opening and closing of waste bin lids and dispenser covers. A further object of the invention is to solve the problem relating to the automatic closing of such lids or covers during servicing.